PictonNZWaitohi · Marlborough Sounds
Aerial view of the drowned river valleys of the Marlborough Sounds

Map

The Picton map

Every place on this site with a location. Pins are approximate — good for finding your way, not for navigation. Toggle groups, tap a pin for the page.

Photo: Schwede66 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pins are approximate locations from OpenStreetMap — enough to find your way, not for navigation. Map loads when scrolled into view.

Everything on the map, as a list

Nearest the ferry terminal first (straight line).

Wide view of the museum entrance, exhibition building and adjoining dry-dock shelter.

Edwin Fox Maritime Museum

An 1853 teak sailing ship in dry dock on the waterfront — one of the oldest surviving merchant hulls anywhere.

45 min – 2 hrsWalk from townKids0.1 km from the ferry
Northbound Coastal Pacific train approaching its Picton terminus at the Dublin Street level crossing.

The Coastal Pacific train

The seasonal scenic train between Picton, Blenheim, Kaikōura and Christchurch.

Half a dayWalk from town0.1 km from the ferry
Picton Foreshore's palm-lined lawn beside the harbour, with benches, marina boats and a ferry in view.

Picton Foreshore

The lawn, the palms, the marina and the war memorial — where the town meets the water, and where everything starts.

15 min – 2 hrsWalk from townFree0.2 km from the ferry
A harpoon cannon, projectile, rope and other whaling equipment displayed inside the museum.

Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum

Two thousand items of Māori, whaling and maritime history, on the site of the original Waitohi pā.

30 min – 1.5 hrsWalk from townKids0.2 km from the ferry
View from the side of the boat Delphinus while cruising on calm Queen Charlotte Sound.

Scenic and wildlife cruises

Out into Queen Charlotte Sound by boat — the mail run, Motuara Island, dolphins and seals.

1.5 hrs – a dayWalk from townKids0.3 km from the ferry
Two paddlers in a yellow tandem sea kayak beside native bush in the Marlborough Sounds.

Sea kayaking

Guided half-days to multi-day trips, or hire a kayak and go, from the London Quay waterfront.

Half a day – a dayWalk from town0.3 km from the ferry
A Picton Water Taxis launch underway on Queen Charlotte Sound, with the operator name visible on the cabin.

Water taxis

Everyday transport in the Sounds — to the track, to the lodges, to bays with no road.

15 min – 2 hrsWalk from town0.3 km from the ferry
Rows of grapevines in Wairau Valley with the Marlborough hills beyond.

Wine tours from Picton

Guided minivan tours to the Wairau Valley cellar doors, with pick-up in Picton.

Half a day – a dayWalk from town0.3 km from the ferry
Picton's Coathanger pedestrian bridge crossing the marina inlet, a central part of the walk to Shelly Beach.

Foreshore to Shelly Beach

Ten minutes from the waterfront, over the Coathanger Bridge, to a small beach.

10–25 minEasyFree0.4 km from the ferry
Wide street-level view of Picton Library and Service Centre, including its timber facade, glazing, entrance and name sign.

Picton Library

The town's library and service centre, a block back from the foreshore.

20 min – 2 hrsWalk from townFree0.4 km from the ferry
A yacht moored on calm water in Picton Harbour

Shelly Beach

The small beach ten minutes' walk from the foreshore, at the edge of Victoria Domain.

20 min – 1.5 hrsWalk from townFree0.4 km from the ferry
View back over Picton harbour, marina and town from Queen Charlotte Drive.

Queen Charlotte Drive

The slow, scenic road from Picton toward Havelock and Nelson, with lookouts over the Grove Arm.

30 min – half a dayDriveFree0.6 km from the ferry
Wide view of the bush-covered Snout peninsula and shoreline within Victoria Domain.

Victoria Domain

200 hectares of bush between Picton and Waikawa, with over 20 km of walking and mountain-bike tracks.

20 min – half a dayWalk from townFree1.2 km from the ferry
A boardwalk section of the Queen Charlotte Track winding through native bush above the water

Mountain biking

A 13-trail network in Victoria Domain a few minutes from town, and the Queen Charlotte Track Great Ride beyond it.

1 hr – multi-dayWalk from townFree1.2 km from the ferry
View from a hillside lookout over Picton, its marina and Queen Charlotte Sound

Tirohanga Track

The climb from the edge of town to a hilltop lookout over Picton.

1.5 hrsModerateFree1.5 km from the ferry
View over the Grove Arm from a bend on Queen Charlotte Drive

The Link Pathway

A 42 km walk-or-bike pathway from Picton to Havelock through the inner Sounds — or just its easy first section.

40 min – half a dayEasyFree1.5 km from the ferry
Cruise ship Noordam berthed at Waimahara Wharf amid the Shakespeare Bay log yard.

Cruise ships in Picton

Two cruise berths, October to April: Waimahara Wharf for the big ships, Waitohi Wharf in town for the smaller ones.

Walk from town1.5 km from the ferry
Geotagged harbour view toward Picton showing the wooded cliff-edge route corridor and Shelly Beach end.

Lower Bob's Bay Track

Half an hour along the cliffs from Shelly Beach to a bush-fringed bay.

1–1.5 hrsModerateFree1.6 km from the ferry
A small bush-fringed bay reached by a walking track near Picton

Upper Bob's Bay Track

The high route into Bob's Bay from Victoria Domain Loop Road.

1–1.5 hrsModerateFree1.6 km from the ferry
A small bush-fringed bay reached by a walking track near Picton

Bob's Bay

A bush-fringed bay you can only walk to — half an hour from Shelly Beach.

1.5–2.5 hrsWalk from townFree1.6 km from the ferry
Kaipūpū's bush-covered peninsula across Picton Harbour, with ferry berths at left and Queen Charlotte Sound beyond.

Kaipūpū Sanctuary

A fenced, predator-controlled peninsula ten minutes from the foreshore by water taxi, with a 2.7 km loop track.

2 hrs – half a dayBy boat1.7 km from the ferry
A silver fern frond showing its silvery-white underside

Essons Valley: Barnes Dam Track

The longer of the two dam walks up the valley behind town.

1.5 hrsModerateFree3.4 km from the ferry
Dense native bush seen from above, tree-fern fronds filling the frame

Essons Valley: Humphries Dam Track

A valley walk from the Garden Terrace car park to the old town water-supply dam.

1.5 hrsModerateFree3.7 km from the ferry
Ngakuta Bay's curved beach, calm water, moored yachts and bush-clad shoreline.

Ngakuta Bay

A calm, bush-fringed bay with a beach on Queen Charlotte Drive, on the Link Pathway.

30 min – half a dayDriveFree3.7 km from the ferry
Yachts and launches moored at Waikawa Marina

Picton to Waikawa Track

The easy, dog-friendly walk between Picton and the next bay.

45 min – 1.5 hrsEasyFree3.8 km from the ferry
Sunset over the water seen past the bow of a small boat

Fishing charters

Skippered fishing trips out of Picton and Waikawa, gear supplied.

Half a day – a dayShort drive3.8 km from the ferry
A yacht moored on calm water in Picton Harbour

Sailing charters

Bareboat or skippered yachts from Waikawa Marina into the Sounds.

Half a day – multi-dayShort drive3.8 km from the ferry
Aerial view across Waikawa Bay, its foreshore, moored yachts, settlement and Waikawa Marina.

Waikawa Bay

The next bay north of Picton, home to Waikawa Marina and the Te Ātiawa community that moved here in 1850.

1 hr – half a dayWalk from townFree4.7 km from the ferry
The Snout's shoreline lookout clearing, picnic table and two walkers, seen across the water from the south.

The Snout Track

The classic Picton walk: along the headland between the two marinas to a lookout, then on to the point.

1.5 hrs – half a dayModerateFree5.5 km from the ferry
Momorangi Bay Camp entrance, grassy sites, beachfront, boats and the forested bay beyond.

Momorangi Bay

A fully serviced DOC campsite on Queen Charlotte Drive, 25 minutes from Picton, with a playground on the reserve.

1 hr – half a dayDriveKids5.6 km from the ferry
Karaka Point lookout with its carved pou, native vegetation and a wide view across Queen Charlotte Sound.

Karaka Point Historic Reserve

A headland lookout beyond the Snout on the road to Whatamango Bay.

15 min – 1 hrShort driveFree6.3 km from the ferry
Wide view across Whatamango Bay toward its forested hills and shoreline homes under a blue sky.

Whatamango Bay

A DOC campsite bay 10 km east of Picton on Port Underwood Road — about 15 minutes from the ferry.

1 hr – half a dayDrive6.6 km from the ferry
Aerial view from beneath an aircraft wing across the islands and waterways of the Marlborough Sounds.

Scenic flights

The Sounds from above — fixed-wing from Picton Aerodrome at Koromiko, helicopters from Blenheim.

30 min – half a dayDrive7.6 km from the ferry
Elevated view across Anakiwa settlement, shoreline, jetties and the head of Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui.

Anakiwa

The road-accessible southern end of the Queen Charlotte Track, with a car park, shelter and toilets.

1 hr – a dayDrive8.2 km from the ferry
Havelock Marina with boats, pontoons and the surrounding hills at the head of Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere.

Havelock

The small town at the head of Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere, at the far end of the Link Pathway.

Half a day – a dayDrive19.8 km from the ferry
Vineyard rows in the Wairau Valley, looking south from Rapaura Road toward the Southern Valleys and Wither Hills.

Blenheim and the Marlborough wine region

New Zealand's largest wine region — nearly 31,000 hectares of vines — starts half an hour south of Picton.

Half a day – a dayDrive25.3 km from the ferry
A walker on a narrow Queen Charlotte Track section through dense native bush and tree ferns.

Queen Charlotte Track

73.5 km of ridgeline and bay from Meretoto / Ship Cove to Anakiwa — walked in 3–5 days, ridden in 2–3, or sampled in a day by water taxi.

Half a day – multi-dayMulti-day29.3 km from the ferry
The beach and water at Meretoto / Ship Cove, with a passenger boat crossing the cove.

Meretoto / Ship Cove

Cook's anchorage on all three voyages, New Zealand's first historic reserve, and the start of the Queen Charlotte Track.

Half a day – a dayBy boat29.3 km from the ferry
Wooden summit lookout steps above Motuara's native bush, with Queen Charlotte Sound beyond.

Motuara Island

A predator-free bird sanctuary in the outer sound — saddleback, robin and kākāriki — with a lookout tower on its 128 m summit.

Half a day – a dayBy boatKids31.4 km from the ferry
The narrow rocky entrance to Tory Channel from Cook Strait

Diving and the Mikhail Lermontov

The largest diveable cruise-ship wreck in New Zealand waters lies in Port Gore, off the outer Sounds.

Half a day – multi-dayDrive35.1 km from the ferry
Kaikōura township and coast beneath the snow-dusted Seaward Kaikōura Range, viewed from the peninsula.

Kaikōura

The whale-watching coast, about two hours south — on the Coastal Pacific line and the InterCity route.

A dayDrive126.6 km from the ferry